Patman
Staff member
Especially on icy roads!
Whats your best driving tip?
- Thread starter The motor guy
- Start date
Don’t flank cars on the interstate. That’s typically their blind spot. Either stay back (preferably right lane) or pass them. Don’t stay in a cluster of drivers that are using each other to pace their speed. Dangerous. Don’t ride behind tractor trailers or dump trucks….unless you don’t mind having grease slung on your car and being sandblasted. Have you ever seen all the zerks that are overloaded with grease? That’s flinging back on your car if you are behind. People reading phones while driving is worse than drivers that have been drinking in my opinion……. Sometimes I would love to have a freight train horn……..
Fully agree, but with a more generalized scope; i.e., "someone near you is going to do something stupid." Prepping for someone's inevitable stupidity lessens the surprise and lowers blood pressure
Some years ago I heard a radio interview with a professional driver who had driven > 3,000,000 accident-free miles. His two sons also drove semi, and both had racked up over > 1,000,000 accident-free miles.
His advice:
1. Maintain a safe following distance - a minimum of 4 seconds, and preferably more.
2. There are a lot of bad drivers out there - don't ever try to get even.
*******
At work they stressed how dangerous backing is. The slogan was "Fear what's in the rear!"
As part of that they taught us several ways to mitigate the danger:
1. Try to park such that you don't have to back up. (Back into a parking spot if it's safe to do so, or pull through to the facing spot in a parking lot so that you can drive out forwards.)
2. Look around before getting into your vehicle, identifying any potential hazards.
3. Walk around your vehicle before entering, checking for anything behind the wheels, stuff under the vehicle, etc. (Every year I hear tragic stories of someone backing over a small child who was playing behind the vehicle. Of much much lesser importance, it's quite common here to see cars driving with block-heater extension cords still attached and dragging on the ground. Just a simple walk around ...)
His advice:
1. Maintain a safe following distance - a minimum of 4 seconds, and preferably more.
2. There are a lot of bad drivers out there - don't ever try to get even.
*******
At work they stressed how dangerous backing is. The slogan was "Fear what's in the rear!"
As part of that they taught us several ways to mitigate the danger:
1. Try to park such that you don't have to back up. (Back into a parking spot if it's safe to do so, or pull through to the facing spot in a parking lot so that you can drive out forwards.)
2. Look around before getting into your vehicle, identifying any potential hazards.
3. Walk around your vehicle before entering, checking for anything behind the wheels, stuff under the vehicle, etc. (Every year I hear tragic stories of someone backing over a small child who was playing behind the vehicle. Of much much lesser importance, it's quite common here to see cars driving with block-heater extension cords still attached and dragging on the ground. Just a simple walk around ...)
If you’re going to speed on the interstate don’t do it alone 
This is sound advice; however, for most folks it seems to be even more of a challenge.
At my final place of employment we had a large parking lot which quickly filled every morning. The never-ending stream of boobs with backup cameras took an absolute eternity to squarely back into their spots (especially those with trucks). And all the normies had no option but to wait...and wait...and wait while they adjusted.
Furthermore, the back half of the lot featured angle parking. All those who pulled through were suddenly nose-out against the flow of traffic and had to swing very wide or do a three-point turn just to exit their space at the end of the day.
Be wary of testosterone addled young males driving lifted trucks or BMWs.
Dont get bent out of shape and do something stupid. The person who pissed you off could me a low IQ oxygen thief with a gun.
You aren't as good a driver as you think you are. Neither is anyone else. Drive appropriately.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Be aware of people driving 10-20mph below speed limit in left lane. They are probably not aware that actually they are driving at all.
Learn to predict what others are going to do. It prepares you for when they do it. Don't get surprised.
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Can you believe that’s the way some states do it.
This won't work in Austin (or other metro areas). They will fill-in the space immediately, and if you continue to back-off you will piss everyone off behind you (generating road rage) and they will do crazy things to get around you.
My best advice is to move with the flow of traffic. If the flow of traffic is 60 mph you need to go 60 mph, not 50 because the speed limit is 50.
My second piece of advice is to stay out of other people's blind spot.
My third piece of advice is to always pay attention. In heavy traffic you can't afford to take your eyes off of the road for more than a second.
My forth piece of advice is, on interstate highways, stay out of the left lane except to pass and get out of other people's way.
My fifth piece of advice is to ALWAYS signal your intentions.
I consider all of my advice to be defensive and considerate driving. IMO there are too many inconsiderate drivers on the road.
BTW, I have never been in an accident when I was driving (knock on wood).
Don’t fall asleep.
A lot of the replies here are similar - basically be defensive/assume folks will screw up/etc. Every time I see a dash cam video from someone, often younger, posted online the obsession is who's fault it is...I always respond with "Who cares, you should have avoided it in the first place." (even if it was indeed the other person's fault looking at rules of the road/how insurance will handle it) by doing what folks here are saying. I realize accidents do in fact happen and we can't avoid everything all the time (have to be careful on that one...there really are v. few accidents that aren't avoidable...this comes from years of industrial safety culture) but really, being situationally aware is really what it's about. Now watch, I'll get in a crash today haha
But if you expect it, then it’s no longer unexpected. Therefore you end up expecting the expected.
I'm paraphrasing what I saw a truck driver post years ago, something like "drive like you want to help everyone get home safely." Basically, anticipate other drivers' bad decisions, don't get bent out of shape, try to stay out of sticky situations. I find that thinking that way keeps me thinking proactively and also keeps me from getting too frustrated when people complete fulfill my expectations and make the worst possible decisions.
